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Portrait of Mary Anning
Portrait of Mary Anning
Mary Anning (1799 – 1847) was a British fossil collector, dealer, and palaeontologist who became known around the world for important finds she made in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs along the English Channel at Lyme Regis in the county of Dorset in Southwest England. Her work contributed to fundamental changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life and the history of the Earth.

Mary Anning searched for fossils in the area's Blue Lias cliffs. Her discoveries included the first ichthyosaur skeleton correctly identified; the first two plesiosaur skeletons found; the first pterosaur skeleton located outside Germany; and important fish fossils. Her observations played a key role in the discovery that coprolites, known as bezoar stones at the time, were fossilised faeces. She also discovered that belemnite fossils contained fossilised ink sacs like those of modern cephalopods.

Anning did not fully participate in the scientific community of 19th-century Britain, who were mostly Anglican gentlemen. She struggled financially for much of her life. Her family was poor, and her father, a cabinetmaker, died when she was eleven. She became well known in geological circles in Britain, Europe, and America. Nonetheless, as a woman, she was not eligible to join the Geological Society of London and she did not always receive full credit for her scientific contributions. After her death in 1847, her unusual life story attracted increasing interest. (see more...)

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Science, culture, and economics articles 2

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Stone Henge
Stone Henge
There are 29 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom and overseas territories. The UNESCO list contains one designated site in both England and Scotland (the Frontiers of the Roman Empire) plus sixteen exclusively in England, five in Scotland, three in Wales, one in Northern Ireland, and one in each of the overseas territories of Bermuda, the Pitcairn Islands, and Saint Helena. The first sites in the UK to be inscribed on the World Heritage List were Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast; Durham Castle and Cathedral; Ironbridge Gorge; Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey; Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites; and the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd in 1986. The latest site to be inscribed was the Forth Bridge in 2015.

The constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (commonly referred to as UNESCO) was ratified in 1946 by 26 countries, including the UK. Its purpose was to provide for the "conservation and protection of the world’s inheritance of books, works of art and monuments of history and science". The UK contributes £130,000 annually to the World Heritage Fund which finances the preservation of sites in developing countries. Some designated properties contain multiple sites that share a common geographical location or cultural heritage.

The United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO advises the British government, which is responsible for maintaining its World Heritage Sites, on policies regarding UNESCO. In 2008, Andy Burnham – then Minister for Culture, Media, and Sport – voiced concerns over the worth of the designation of sites in the UK as World Heritage Sites and called for a review of the government's policy of putting forward new sites; this was partly due to rising costs and lower-than-expected income from visitors, few of which were aware of the World Heritage Site status of the sites they visited.

World Heritage Site selection criteria i–vi are culturally related, and selection criteria vii–x are the natural criteria. Twenty-three properties are designated as "cultural", four as "natural", and one as "mixed". The breakdown of sites by type was similar to the overall proportions; of the 890 sites on the World Heritage List, 77.4% are cultural, 19.8% are natural, and 2.8% are mixed. St Kilda is the only mixed World Heritage Site in the UK. Originally preserved for its natural habitats alone, in 2005 the site was expanded to include the crofting community that once inhabited the archipelago; the site became one of only 25 mixed sites worldwide. The natural sites are the Dorset and East Devon Coast; Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast; Gough and Inaccessible Islands; and Henderson Island. The rest are cultural.

In 2012, the World Heritage Committee added Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City to the List of World Heritage in Danger citing threats to the site's integrity from planned urban development projects. (see more...)

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Science, culture, and economics articles 3

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Wansdyke Earthwork
Wansdyke Earthwork
Bath and North East Somerset (commonly referred to as BANES or B&NES) is a unitary authority created on 1 April 1996, following the abolition of the County of Avon, which had existed since 1974.[1] Part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset occupies an area of 220 square miles (570 km2), two-thirds of which is green belt.[2] It stretches from the outskirts of Bristol, south into the Mendip Hills and east to the southern Cotswold Hills and Wiltshire border.[2] The city of Bath is the principal settlement in the district, but BANES also covers Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock and the Chew Valley. The area has a population of 170,000, about half of whom live in Bath, making it 12 times more densely populated than the rest of the area.[2]

A scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or monument which is given legal protection by being placed on a list (or "schedule") by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; English Heritage takes the leading role in identifying such sites. The legislation governing this is the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The term "monument" can apply to the whole range of archaeological sites, and they are not always visible above ground. Such sites have to have been deliberately constructed by human activity. They range from prehistoric standing stones and burial sites, through Roman remains and medieval structures such as castles and monasteries, to later structures such as industrial sites and buildings constructed for the World Wars or the Cold War.[3]

There are 58 scheduled monuments in Bath and North East Somerset.[4] Some of the oldest are Neolithic including the Stanton Drew stone circles and several tumuli. The Great Circle at Stanton Drew is one of the largest Neolithic monuments ever built, and the second largest stone circle in Britain (after Avebury). The date of construction is not known but is thought to be between 3000 and 2000 BCE which places it in the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age.[5] There are also several Iron Age hillforts such as Maes Knoll,[6] which was later incorporated into the medieval Wansdyke, a defensive earthwork, several sections of which are included in this list.[7] The Romano-British period is represented with several sites, most notably the Roman Baths[8] and city walls in Bath.[9] More recent sites include several bridges which date from the Middle Ages to the Palladian bridge in Prior Park Landscape Garden[10] and Dundas Aqueduct which was built in 1805[11] which is the most recent site included in the list. The monuments are listed below using the titles given in the English Heritage data sheets. (see more...)

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Science, culture, and economics articles 4

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Orchardleigh Stones
Orchardleigh Stones
Mendip may refer to:
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Science, culture, and economics articles 5

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Aveline's hole
Aveline's hole
North Somerset is a unitary authority area in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare. North Somerset borders the local government areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, Mendip and Sedgemoor. North Somerset contains the parliamentary constituencies of Weston-super-Mare and North Somerset.

A scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or monument which is given legal protection by being placed on a list (or "schedule") by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; English Heritage takes the leading role in identifying such sites. The legislation governing this is the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The term "monument" can apply to the whole range of archaeological sites, and they are not always visible above ground. Such sites have to have been deliberately constructed by human activity. They range from prehistoric standing stones and burial sites, through Roman remains and medieval structures such as castles and monasteries, to later structures such as industrial sites and buildings constructed for the World Wars or the Cold War.[12]

There are 68 scheduled monuments in North Somerset. The oldest site Aveline's Hole, a cave in which bones from the Mesolithic have been identified maling it the earliest scientifically dated cemetery in Britain.[13] There are also multiple Neolithic tumuli. There are also several Iron Age hillforts, such as the one at Worlebury Camp. Dolebury Warren, another Iron Age hillfort, was reused as a medieval rabbit warren. The Romano-British period is represented with sites including villas. Sites from the Middle Ages include motte-and-bailey castles, such as Locking Castle, and church crosses. There are also several deserted medieval settlements. Woodspring Priory is a former Augustinian priory founded in the early 13th century.[14] More recent sites date from the Industrial Revolution and include the Elms colliery and glassworks in Nailsea. The most recent monuments are two Palmerstonian gun batteries, built in the 1860s, on the island of Steep Holm.[15] The monuments are listed below using the titles given in the English Heritage data sheets. (see more...)

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Science, culture, and economics articles 6

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Gough's cave
Gough's cave
Sedgemoor is a low lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, forming a large part of the Somerset Levels and Moors, a wetland area between the Mendips and the Blackdown Hills.[16] The Neolithic people exploited the reed swamps for their natural resources and started to construct wooden trackways, including the world's oldest known timber trackway, the Post Track, dating to the 3800s BC.[17] The Levels were the location of the Iron Age Glastonbury Lake Village as well as two lake villages at Meare Lake.[18][19] Several settlements and hill forts were built on the natural "islands" of slightly raised land, including Brent Knoll and Glastonbury.[20][21] In the Roman period sea salt was extracted and a string of settlements were set up along the Polden Hills.[22]

A scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or monument which is given legal protection by being placed on a list (or "schedule") by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; English Heritage takes the leading role in identifying such sites. The legislation governing this is the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The term "monument" can apply to the whole range of archaeological sites, and they are not always visible above ground. Such sites have to have been deliberately constructed by human activity. They range from prehistoric standing stones and burial sites, through Roman remains and medieval structures such as castles and monasteries, to later structures such as industrial sites and buildings constructed for the World Wars or the Cold War.[23]

There are 79 scheduled monuments in Sedgemoor. The oldest are Neolithic, Bronze Age or Iron Age including hill forts, bowl barrows and occupied caves including several in Cheddar Gorge. Cannington Camp (which is also known as Cynwit Castle) dates from the Bronze Age,[24] while Brent Knoll Camp between the Somerset Levels and Brean Down is Iron Age (although there are some Bronze Age artefacts) and it was reused in the Roman period.[25][26] The Romano-British period is represented with several sites. Medieval sites include several motte-and-bailey castles and church or village crosses. Industrial development, particularly in Bridgwater, are represented by brick and tile kilns and a telescopic railway bridge.[27][28] The most recent monuments are World War II bunkers and bombing decoys on Black Down. The monuments are listed below using the titles given in the English Heritage data sheets. (see more...)

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Science, culture, and economics articles 7

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Earthwork at King's Castle Hillfort, Somerset
Earthwork at King's Castle Hillfort, Somerset
Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District, and Wellington Rural District. Taunton Deane was granted borough status in 1975, enabling the mayoralty of Taunton to be continued, when other districts did not have mayors.[29] The district was given the name of an alternate form of the Taunton Deane Hundred.

A scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or monument which is given legal protection by being placed on a list (or "schedule") by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; English Heritage takes the leading role in identifying such sites. The legislation governing this is the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The term "monument" can apply to the whole range of archaeological sites, and they are not always visible above ground. Such sites have to have been deliberately constructed by human activity. They range from prehistoric standing stones and burial sites, through Roman remains and Medieval structures such as castles and monasteries, to later structures such as industrial sites and buildings constructed for the World Wars or the Cold War.[30]

There are 33 scheduled monuments in Taunton Deane. Many of them are Neolithic through to the Bronze and Iron Ages such as bowl barrows, cairns along with hill forts such as Norton Camp.[31] Castle Neroche was an Iron Age hill fort which was reused as a Norman motte-and-bailey castle.[32] Burrow Mump shows evidence of Roman use but is better known as a Norman motte-and-bailey castle,[33] and later church.[34] It was presented, in 1946, by Major Alexander Gould Barrett, to the National Trust to serve as a memorial to the 11,281[35] Somerset men who lost their lives during the first and second world wars.[36]

The Medieval period is represented by several churchyard crosses. The defensive walls and part of Taunton Castle, which has Anglo-Saxon origins and was expanded during the Medieval and Tudor eras, is included.[37][38] More recent sites include Poundisford Park, Buckland Priory, Bradford Bridge and a duck decoy from the 17th century. Some of the sites such as Balt Moor Wall are of uncertain date; however the most recent are air traffic control buildings, pillboxes and fighter pens from RAF Culmhead, situated at Churchstanton on the Blackdown Hills.[39][40] The monuments are listed below using the titles given in the English Heritage data sheets. (see more...)

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Science, culture, and economics articles 8

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Huish Champflower Barrow
Huish Champflower Barrow
West Somerset is a local government district in the English county of Somerset. The council covers a largely rural area, with a population of 35,075[41] in an area of 740 square kilometres (290 sq mi).[42]

According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics in 2009, the population of West Somerset has the oldest average age in the United Kingdom at 52.[43] The largest centres of population are the coastal towns of Minehead (population 10,000) and Watchet (4,400).

A scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or monument which is given legal protection by being placed on a list (or "schedule") by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; English Heritage takes the leading role in identifying such sites. The legislation governing this is the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The term "monument" can apply to the whole range of archaeological sites, and they are not always visible above ground. Such sites have to have been deliberately constructed by human activity. They range from prehistoric standing stones and burial sites, through Roman remains and medieval structures such as castles and monasteries, to later structures such as industrial sites and buildings constructed for the World Wars or the Cold War.[44]

There are 201[note 1] scheduled monuments in West Somerset. Some of the oldest, particularly on Exmoor and the Quantock Hills are Neolithic, Bronze Age or Iron Age including hillforts, cairns, bowl barrows and other tumulis. More recent sites include several motte-and-bailey castles and church or village crosses which date from the Middle Ages. The geography with large numbers of streams is reflected by the number of packhorse and other bridges included in the list. The mining history of the area is also represented by several sections of the West Somerset Mineral Railway and associated ruins of mine buildings which are now scheduled. The most recent monuments are World War II pillboxes. The monuments are listed below using the titles given in the English Heritage data sheets. (see more...)

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Science, culture, and economics articles 9

User:Abyssal/Prehistory of Europe/Science, culture, and economics articles/9

Illustration of trilobite fossils by Joachim Barrande.
Illustration of trilobite fossils by Joachim Barrande.
The history of paleontology traces the history of the effort to study the fossil record left behind by ancient life forms. Although fossils had been studied by scholars since ancient times, the nature of fossils and their relationship to life in the past became better understood during the 17th and 18th centuries. At the end of the 18th century the work of Georges Cuvier ended a long running debate about the reality of extinction and led to the emergence of paleontology as a scientific discipline.

The first half of the 19th century saw paleontological activity become increasingly well organized. This contributed to a rapid increase in knowledge about the history of life on Earth, and progress towards definition of the geologic time scale. As knowledge of life's history continued to improve, it became increasingly obvious that there had been some kind of successive order to the development of life. After Charles Darwin published Origin of Species in 1859, much of the focus of paleontology shifted to understanding evolutionary paths.

The last half of the 19th century saw a tremendous expansion in paleontological activity, especially in North America. The trend continued in the 20th century with additional regions of the Earth being opened to systematic fossil collection, as demonstrated by a series of important discoveries in China near the end of the 20th century. There was also a renewed interest in the Cambrian explosion that saw the development of the body plans of most animal phyla. (see more...)


Notes

  1. ^ Wood Barrow round barrow is included twice in the National Heritage List for England as it straddles the border between Somerset and Devon.

References

  1. ^ "The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995". Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO). Retrieved 9 December 2007.
  2. ^ a b c "About the area". Bath and North East Somerset Council. Archived from the original on 4 November 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  3. ^ "Scheduled Monuments". English Heritage. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  4. ^ "List of Scheduled Monuments". Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  5. ^ Oswin, John; Richards, John; Sermon, Richard. "Stanton Drew 2010 Geophysical survey and other archaeological investigations" (PDF). Bath and North East Somerset Council. p. 63. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Maes Knoll". National Monuments Record. English Heritage. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  7. ^ "Wansdyke Project 21". Wansdyke Project 21. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  8. ^ "The Roman Baths". Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  9. ^ Creighton, Oliver Hamilton and Robert Higham. (2005) Medieval Town Walls: an Archaeology and Social History of Urban Defence. Stroud, UK: Tempus. ISBN 978-0-7524-1445-4.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database ({{{num}}})". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  11. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database ({{{num}}})". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 September 2006.
  12. ^ "Scheduled Monuments". English Heritage. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  13. ^ "Earliest British cemetery dated". BBC. 23 September 2003. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  14. ^ William Page (editor) (1911). "Houses of Augustinian canons: The priory of Worspring". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 2. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 15 October 2015. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ Worrall, D. H.; Surtees, P. R. (1984). "Flat Holm  – an account of its history and ecology". South Glamorgan County Council: 18–19. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ^ Robert Dunning (Editor) (2004). "Introduction". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 8: The Poldens and the Levels. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 1 August 2011. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  17. ^ Brunning, Richard (2006). "A window on the past - The prehistoric archaeology of the Somerset Moors". In Hill-Cottingham, Pat; Briggs, Derek; Brunning, Richard; King, Andy; Rix, Graham (eds.). The Somerset Wetlands: An ever changing environment. Wellington, Somerset: Somerset Books. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0-86183-432-7.
  18. ^ Historic England. "Glastonbury Lake Village (194156)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  19. ^ Historic England. "Meare Lake Villages (194185)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  20. ^ Brunning, Richard (2006). Wet and Wonderful: The Heritage of the Avalon Marshes. Somerset Heritage Service. pp. 1–3. ISBN 978-0861833801.
  21. ^ Minnitt, Stephen; Coles, John (2006). The Lake Villages of Somerset. Glastonbury Antiquarian Society. p. 7. ISBN 978-0950712239.
  22. ^ Gathercole, Clare. "Burnham on Sea and Highbridge" (PDF). Archaeological Assessments. Somerset County Council. p. 7. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  23. ^ "Scheduled Monuments". English Heritage. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  24. ^ Historic England. "Cannington Park Camp (191244)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  25. ^ Adkins, Lesley and Roy (1992). A field Guide to Somerset Archaeology. Dovecote press. pp. 29–30. ISBN 0-946159-94-7.
  26. ^ "Brent Knoll hill fort, Brent Knoll". Somerset Historic Environment Record. Somerset County Council. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  27. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database ({{{num}}})". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  28. ^ Otter, R. A. (1994). Civil Engineering Heritage: Southern England. Thomas Telford. pp. 95–97. ISBN 0-7277-1971-8.
  29. ^ "About the Mayor". Taunton Deane Borough Council. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  30. ^ "Scheduled Monuments". English Heritage. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  31. ^ Historic England. "Norton Camp (189007)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  32. ^ Historic England. "Castle Neroche (190295)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  33. ^ "Burrow Mump, Burrowbridge". Somerset Historic Environment Record. Somerset County Council. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  34. ^ Historic England. "Remains of Church on Burrow Mump (1344609)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  35. ^ Dunning, Robert (1983). A History of Somerset. p. 101. ISBN 0-85033-461-6.
  36. ^ Leete-Hodge, Lornie (1985). Curiosities of Somerset. Bodmin: Bossiney Books. p. 82. ISBN 0-906456-98-3.
  37. ^ Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. pp. 202–206. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
  38. ^ "Taunton's History". Taunton Town Centre!. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2007.
  39. ^ Berryman, David (2006). Somerset airfields in the Second World War. Newbury: Countryside Books. pp. 50–86. ISBN 1-85306-864-0. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  40. ^ "Culmhead airfield, Trickey Warren". Somerset Historic Environment Record. Somerset County Council. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  41. ^ "Community and Living". West Somerset Council. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  42. ^ "West Somerset (Local Authority): Key Figures for Physical Environment". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  43. ^ "Maps chart UK's ageing population". BBC News. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2009.
  44. ^ "Sites of Special Scientific Interest and historical monuments". Gov.uk. Natural England. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
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